Mixers: Homemade or Store Bought?

Cocktails aren’t for everyone. They can be cloyingly sweet, incredibly strong, or even worse, watered down. The end result often has a lot to do with the mixer used, and less to do with the type of alcohol involved.

While it can seem like a tempting short cut to grab a bottle of margarita mix at the store, making it from scratch is surprisingly simple and makes a world of difference in the flavor department.

At the end of the day, a prepackaged bottle of sugar water has nothing on real lime juice, fresh strawberries, and home made simple syrup.

To really make sure this cocktail delivers on every note, we’re adding one small but powerful jalapeño to the mix for an added kick.

And just like that, these spicy strawberry margaritas are the ultimate summer adult beverage to serve at your next get together!

Margaritas in 1, 2, 3!

If you’re one of those mixologist type booze enthusiasts, you likely already have a bottle of simple syrup in your liquor cabinet somewhere.

Otherwise, start by boiling a few cups of water and adding it to a half cup of sugar. Mix this well, allow it to cool, and just like that, you’ve made simple syrup! (You can adjust the level of sweetness easily by adjusting your sugar to water ratio.)

Next, start squeezing limes like it’s nobody’s business. You really can’t have too many limes for these spicy strawberry margaritas so whatever you were thinking, double it. This is my go-to tool for squeezing lemons or limes in a breeze without any seeds.